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Microarrays

A microarray is a set of samples, for example DNA, RNA or proteins, arranged on a solid substrate or chip, such as a glass slide or silicon film, that is used in high throughput experiments. Microarrays enable multiple simultaneous measurements to be made in one experiment.

Adolfo Sequeira et al. report an analysis of GABA receptor subunit expression from single-cell and global transcriptome data generated by the Allen Institute. They find that GABA receptor subunit expression is spatially organized according to neurodevelopmental origin and generate a reference from the control population for future studies.

Michelle Catalina et al. use a bioinformatic approach to identify interferon genes with potential roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They predict an important role for IFNB1 in SLE pathogenesis in skin and synovium, but not SLE renal disease.

The methylation status of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can be informative about recent cell death events. Here the authors present an approach to determine the tissue origins of cfDNA, using a reference methylation atlas of 25 human tissues and cell types, and find that cfDNA from patients reveals tissue contributions that agree with clinical findings.

Florida and Texas researchers have devised a screening technology that uses peptoids to identify antibodies that could detect Alzheimer's disease. Opko Health has in-licensed the platform and has partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb to develop a test for early AD based on the approach.